The invention relates to a device for initiating the winding of a new, empty winding core, which replaces a fully wound bolt, with a continuous length of flexible material fed in by a draw-in roller that, in the winding-on position, is at axial distance to the fully wound bolt. The device has: a core feed, by means of which a new empty core is brought into a winding-on position in peripheral and driving contact with the draw-in roller, in which it is partially wrapped round by the section of the length of material that is fed tautly between the draw-in roller and the fully wound bolt; an application guide, on which a freely turning winding-on roller is mounted axially parallel to the draw-in roller and which, in its advance direction, on the side of the length of material that is fed tautly over a gap and is turned away from the empty core, is moved in the direction of rotation of the empty core taking with it the length of material, whereby the angle of wrap of the length of material round the new core is increased to more than 180 degrees; a cutting mechanism, by means of which the length of material that is tautly fed over the space between the winding-on roller and the fully wound bolt is cut, and means by which the new section of the length of material, under continuation of wrapping of the empty core and preceded by a fold as start of the first layer of the new bolt, is fed from the top into the gap that opens upwards between the winding-on roller and the full core and which, due to the rotation of the draw-in roller that is set for drawing-in, is drawn into the gap.
With such devices, it is important that the new start of the length of material is applied to the new core onto which it is to be wound without having to interrupt the continuous feed of the length of material. The lengths of material in question can be woven or knitted materials and fabrics and the like, as well as latticed webs of synthetic materials and foam rubber.
In the case of a device of this kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,863, there is a turning arrangement, whereby the start of the new length of material is folded round its front edge. The turning arrangement is then driven into and wedged in the gap between the draw-in roller and the empty core to be wound. Hereby the start of the length of material, which is preceded by the fold caused by the turned over edge, is driven into the gap by the turning arrangement until being engaged between the draw-in roller and the new core. Once this has happened, the turning arrangement is then withdrawn from the fold of the length of material and, thus, also out of the gap.
In the case of the disclosed device, the turning arrangement necessarily requires the guiding of the start of the new length of material until it is jammed in between the draw-in roller and the empty core and engages.